Creator: Dickie Beau
Director: Jan-Willem Van Den Bosch
Early arrivals for performances of Showmanism can look up towards the high ceiling of Hampstead Theatre’s main house to see the show’s creator and star clambering around precariously on scaffolding while reciting familiar tongue twisters. He is actor, impersonator, drag artist and flamboyant showman Dickie Beau. It is a startling prelude, and when, eventually, the show comes down to earth, it does so only in the most literal sense.
First seen at the Theatre Royal Bath in 2022, Showmanism is a discussion of all things theatre, looked at from a perspective that is wildly eccentric and mildly queer. Beau is self-analytical when considering the psyche of actors, going on to assert that audiences are themselves key parts of performances. His illustrations range from Ancient Greece, through the Shakespearean era and the Oberammergau Passion play, to the present day. As Beau’s last appearance here was in Tom Stoppard’s The Invention of Love, he may feel that Hampstead audiences have been well prepared for a certain level of intellectualism, particularly with regard to the classics.
So, in essence, is this a lecture best suited for scholars or RADA students? Well, maybe, but Beau livens it up with voices ranging from David Cameron to Cilla Black. Most notably, it is the comforting tones of Sir Ian McKellen that guide us through, almost as if the actor himself had lived through all the ages of civilisation. Also, director Jan-Willem Van Den Bosch makes sure that Showmanism is a real show for the whole of its running time of 95 minutes straight through.
Justin Nardella’s elaborate set and dazzling costume designs would be fit for a West End musical, while Marty Langthorne’s lighting designs create striking images. However, none of these fireworks can eclipse the astonishing fire of Beau himself, which is fuelled by insight, honesty and mischievous humour. The lasting effect is weirdly mesmerising, funny, profound and even spiritual.
Beau finds time for an excoriating assessment of the contributions of critics, so, in retaliation, it feels necessary to point out that his show is uneven, often losing focus and cohesion. Showmanism is a very long way from being perfect, but its star has a magnetic presence which makes it extraordinary.
Run until 12 July 2025
1 Comment
I don’t think I was ever so bored in all my life. I’m sure there are people who like this stuff but I don’t get the point – if I wanted to read what these people had to say, or indeed listen to it, I could do that without some clown prancing around on stage in his underpants.